Thomas Jefferson and Preparation for the Declaration of Independence
In 2026, the United States will host a series of vibrant celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the drafting and adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The eve of the Declaration presents an excellent opportunity to reflect more fully on how the thirteen British colonies moved from opposing to supporting independence.
This program will examine how Thomas Jefferson was chosen to draft the Declaration, from whence he obtained his inspiration, what the document said, and how it was used at the time. Historians in this program will uncover how enslaved African Americans came to understand and use the document, and perhaps most importantly, how it has been understood over the intervening centuries and how it has been used to promote democracy here and abroad. UVA’s 2025 Summer Jefferson Symposium will assemble knowledge experts to discuss these vital topics with alumni, parents, and friends.
June 26 - 29, 2025
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| REGISTER |
Lawn Room
Registration $1,595 per person (meals are included)
Add Lodging in a Lawn Room
$150 per person (4 days/3 nights)
Single occupancy only
(includes compostable sheet/pillow/blanket—no towels)
Lodging in a Lawn room is limited to registered participants only.
Colonnade Club - SOLD OUT
Registration $1,595 per person (meals are included)
Add Lodging at Colonnade Club
$697 Double - 2 twin beds (3 nights) SOLD OUT
$697 Queen - 1 queen bed (3 nights) SOLD OUT
$847 Premium - 1 king bed (3 nights) SOLD OUT
Lodging at the Colonnade Club is limited to registered participants only.
Off-Grounds Hotel Recommendations
Registration $1,595 per person (meals are included)
Contact the hotel directly to reserve—limited rooms
$149 per night Courtyard Charlottesville Marriott (University Medical Center, Main Street)
1201 West Main Street Charlottesville, VA, 22903
$229 per night Graduate by Hilton Hotel (UVA Corner)
1309 West Main Street Charlottesville, VA 22903
FACULTY LEADER
JOHN RAGOSTA
Historian, Faculty Director, Lifetime Learning’s Summer Jefferson Symposium
John Ragosta, historian and faculty director for the UVA Summer Jefferson Symposium, is a fellow at Virginia Humanities and previously Historian and the Acting Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. He taught law and history at the University of Virginia, George Washington University, Hamilton, Oberlin, and Randolph Colleges. Dr. Ragosta’s most recent book – For the People, For the Country: Patrick Henry’s Final Political Battle – was published by UVA Press in 2023. He is also the author of Religious Freedom: Jefferson’s Legacy, America’s Creed (UVA Press, 2013), and several other works. Ragosta holds both a PhD and a JD from the University of Virginia. Before returning to academia, Dr. Ragosta was a partner at Dewey Ballantine LLP. He is also a beekeeper.
Robert Parkinson
Professor of History, Binghamton University
Robert Parkinson is the 2024-2025 Fritz and Claudine Kundrun Fellow at the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. He is a Professor of History at Binghamton University and the author of Thirteen Clocks: How Race United the Colonies and Made the Declaration of Independence (2021). Parkinson’s most recent book, Heart of American Darkness: Bewilderment and Horror on the Early Frontier, was published in 2024. His current project involves the study of the complaints against the king and Parliament in the Declaration of Independence. Parkinson holds his PhD from the University of Virginia.
Auriana Woods
Director of the Getting Word African American Oral History Project, Monticello
Auriana Woods is the Director of the Getting Word African American Oral History Project at Monticello, where her work focuses on Black American history from slavery to freedom, with special emphasis on kinship, memory, and forced separation. As a public-facing historian, Woods works to reconstruct our collective understanding of American history and identity by filling historical silences, interrogating the consequences of a popular narrative that omits chattel slavery as a founding institution, and emphasizing the centrality of Black Americans in the founding of the United States. Woods is particularly interested in “re-membering” the histories of individuals who have been invisibilized by the violence of traditional archives and engages in a historical practice that “challenges the known and the unknowable.”
Andrew M. Davenport
Vice President for Research and Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, Thomas Jefferson Foundation
Andrew M. Davenport is the Vice President for Research and Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. He has published academic articles on Ralph Ellison in mid-century New York City, Thomas Jefferson’s death and its legacies, and the influence of Black literature on post-World War II French culture. He has also published in Lapham’s Quarterly, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Smithsonian Magazine. Davenport serves on the Board of Directors of the American Agora Foundation (Lapham’s Quarterly) and is a member of the inaugural cohort of the White House Historical Association Next-Gen Leadership Ambassadors. He earned a B.A. in English from Kenyon College, an M.A. in American Studies from Fairfield University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in U.S. History from Georgetown University.
This symposium is designed for adult learners 18 and over.
This is a moderately active symposium that requires some walking on uneven terrain, climbing steps, and prolonged standing. This symposium will follow a leisurely pace, but it is entirely up to you to pace yourself according to your own capability. It is always possible to choose not to participate in certain activities.
May 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM EDT
Check-in: Thursday, June 26, at 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
Check-out: Sunday, June 29, by 11:00 AM EDT
Lifetime Learning will refund 100% of participant registration costs if the University of Virginia deems this program cannot take place.
Should a participant wish to cancel, a full refund can be requested until March 31, 2025, at 11:59 PM EDT with written notice emailed to Lifetime Learning at LifetimeLearningUVA@virginia.edu.
A 50% refund issued until May 1, 2025, with written notice same as above.
No refunds will be issued after May 1, 2025, unless UVA requires this program to be canceled.
THOUGHTS FROM THE LAWN
The Thoughts From the Lawn blog features posts by UVA faculty related to upcoming lectures, books written, educational events, and research conducted on relevant topics. Join the discussion and share your thoughts.